1. Technical Field
This invention relates to tongue depressors and, more particularly, to an illuminable tongue depressor assembly for illuminating a confined target zone during medical procedures and the like.
2. Prior Art
Tongue depressors have been in use routinely in the examination of patients for a very long time. Despite efforts to develop and manufacture tongue depressors of other materials, by far the most commonly used tongue depressors are those constructed of wood. Suggestions have been made for substituting a synthetic resin material for wood, but wood is still the preferred material, and large numbers of wooden tongue depressors are consumed annually. One suggestion for supplanting the wooden tongue depressor with a more effective diagnostic aid is a luminous spatula in which a spatula of light-conductive material is illuminated by a light source to assist in the examination of a patient.
One such an example is disclosed in the prior art, in which a light-conductive spatula is associated with a torch for receiving light from a lamp in the torch. The spatula includes a beaded stiffening configuration. A luminous head on the spatula is provided with a top surface configuration which enables light to be refracted over the whole area of the top surface, as well as from the edges, for illumination of the cavity being examined. Unfortunately, this example provides no illumination along the bottom surface, thus requiring the user to turn it over for illuminating surface located beneath the spatula. This is time consuming and might lead to injuries as the person manipulating the spatula can inadvertently scrape the interior of the examinee's mouth.
Accordingly, a need remains for an illuminable tongue depressor assembly in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an illuminable tongue depressor that is safe and easy to use and allows for more complete and expedient oral examinations. Such an illuminable tongue depressor advantageously allows medical examiners to better visualize the interior of a patient's oral cavity, which in turn can lead to an improved and more correct diagnosis.